


Too Many Wheels

by Ice_Queen784



Category: The Greatest Showman (2017)
Genre: Affairs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, F/M, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-01-05 11:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18365510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ice_Queen784/pseuds/Ice_Queen784
Summary: Relationships are always complicated. And the more people become involved in a relationship, the more complicated it gets.-or-I take every popular ship in this fandom and throw it at you at once.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a fun idea that I've had for awhile and I'm pretty excited to write it. It'll definitely be a lot lighter than my previous fanfics for this fandom. I'm not sure how long it will end up being, but there will be at least one chapter from the POV of each main character. This first chapter isn't very long, and I'm sure the chapters will get longer as the story goes on, but I'm not sure how much. 
> 
> The title comes from the idea of like, being the third or fourth wheel or whatever. The idea behind it is that it's a polyamorous relationship and at some point, everyone sometimes ends up feeling like a third wheel, or by the end, a fifth wheel.

Phineas lay in bed next to Phillip. He had been having an affair for months now. And their relationship wasn’t just physical. There were real feelings involved. He loved Phillip. He loved him just as much as he loved Charity. But she had no idea.

 

He had come out to her as bisexual when they were teenagers. And she had always been perfectly fine with that. In fact, they’d had a few threesomes when they were younger. He suspected she might be bisexual herself. At the very least she was curious. 

 

But the problem wasn’t that he was sleeping with a man. The problem was that he was sleeping with someone that wasn’t her. He was cheating on her. And he knew he had to tell her.

 

He loved Phillip. And Phillip wasn’t going anywhere. He would be part of the circus forever. And Phineas wanted him in his life forever. He wanted to officially make him more than just a business partner. More than just a lover. He wanted to make him his boyfriend. His partner. Not just in show business or in bed. But in life. 

 

But he couldn’t do that without Charity’s permission. Well, he could, but it would never feel right. He didn’t want being with Phillip to feel forbidden anymore. He didn’t want it to be a secret. He wanted to be open about it. And he needed to know he had Charity’s blessing before he made things more serious with him. 

 

Suddenly, Phillip spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

 

“Are you alright, Phin?” He asked. “You seem nervous.”

 

“I didn’t realize you were still awake.” Phineas replied. 

 

“I can’t sleep.” Phillip moved closer to him. “I’m worried about you. You seem stressed.”

 

“I want to tell Charity about us.” Phillip tensed up against him. “I need to. I can’t hide this from her anymore. I want to make things more serious with you. And I can’t do that if I’m keeping it a secret. I love you and I want to be able to show it.”

 

“I love you too, but are you sure telling her is a good idea?”

 

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “But I have to tell her. I can’t hide this from her anymore. It’s not fair to her. It’s not fair to any of us.”

 

“What are you going to do if she isn’t okay with it?”

 

“I don’t know.” He admitted.

 

“Will you leave me?”

 

“Absolutely not.” Phineas kissed him. “I’ll never leave you. I promise.”

 

“Will you leave her?”

 

“No.” He sighed. “Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen if she isn’t alright with us. But you can rest assured that I’m never leaving you. I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

“Now get some rest.” He gave a small smile. “God knows we both need it.”

 

*****

 

Phineas came home nervously the next morning. Usually he would be coming up with a lie to tell Charity about where he’d been. But not today. Today, he was finally going to tell her the truth. 

 

She was in the dining room, eating breakfast with Caroline and Helen when he arrived.   

 

“Good morning, Daddy!” Helen called with a mouthful of food. 

 

“Good morning!” Caroline laughed. 

 

“Good morning, girls.” He replied, sitting down at the table with them. 

 

“Would you like something to eat?” Charity asked him. She looked like she had some questions for him, but he knew she wouldn’t ask in front of the girls. She never did. 

 

“No thank you.” He shook his head. “I’m not hungry.” 

 

“Are you sure?” She raised an eyebrow.

 

“I’m sure.”

 

When they were done eating, Caroline and Helen ran upstairs. Charity started to follow them, but he stopped her.

 

“Charity, I need to talk to you.” He told her. 

 

“Can it wait?”

 

“No. I need to talk to you now.” 

 

“About what?” She asked with a look of growing concern. “Is something wrong?”

 

“I’m not sure.” He sighed. “Just, come sit down, please.”

 

Phineas led Charity to the sitting room and sat down next to her on the couch. 

 

“Charity, I haven’t been very honest with you lately.” He began. “And I’ve realized that I need to tell you the truth.”

 

“The truth about what?” 

 

“I’m in love with Phillip.” He confessed. “We’ve been having an affair for awhile now.”

 

Charity looked stunned. 

 

“You’re in love with Phillip?” She questioned. “How long has this been going on?”

 

“About six months.”

 

“And why are you just now telling me about this?”

 

“I didn’t want to hurt you.” He took her hand. “I love you. And I’m sorry I’ve been lying to you. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

 

“I really don’t know what to say.” She told him. “Do you really love him?”

 

“I do.”

 

“Do you really love me?”

 

“Of course I do, Chairy.” He kissed her. “Just because I love Phillip doesn’t change the fact that I love you. I’ve always loved you and I always will. I just happen to love him as well.”

 

“Do you want to be with him?”

 

“Yes.” He answered. “I would like to continue to be with him as well as you. Is that alright with you?”

 

“If that’s what you want, if that’s what will make you happy,”

 

“It is.”

 

“Then it’s alright with me.” She squeezed his hand. “All I want is for you to be happy. I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Charity woke up between Phineas and Phillip. At first, she was startled and confused. But then she remembered. Six weeks had passed since she had given Phineas permission to continue his affair with Phillip. In that time, she’d grown much closer to her husband’s lover. Two weeks ago, she had slept with both of them for the first time. She had been a little apprehensive at first, but she had loved it, and in the days since, Phillip had spent many nights with them.

Suddenly, she felt Phillip stir beside her.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He told her softly.

“Good morning.” She replied, giving him a kiss. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to waking up with both of you.”

“Me either.” He smiled. “How did I get so lucky? Some people never even get to fall in love with one person, and I’ve fallen in love with two.”

“Do you really love me, Phillip?” She asked.

“Of course I do, Charity.” He kissed her. “I’ve come to love you just as much as I love Phineas. And I’ll prove it to you right now, if you want me to.”

He raised his eyebrows seductively. Charity giggled as his lips moved down her neck and chest.

“Glad to see you two really getting to know each other.” Phineas said suddenly. Charity and Phillip both froze. “Don’t look so scared, it’s fine. As long as I can join in.”

*****

After breakfast, Phillip went back to his apartment to get ready for work. Charity went upstairs to get dressed with Phineas after he left.

“The girls really like Phillip.” Phineas remarked.

“They do.” She smiled. “And so do I.”

“I’ve been thinking,”

“That’s never good.” Charity teased.

“Now hear me out here, what if Phillip moved in with us?” He suggested.

Charity was brushing her hair, but she paused to think about what her husband had just said. Would Phillip moving in with them really be a good idea? Did she want that? Did Phillip even want that?

“I apologize if it seems like I’m moving too fast here. But I love him and I know you do too. And I just don’t feel like he can fully be part of our relationship until he’s here with us. All the time, not just a few nights a week.”

“I, um, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea just yet.” She replied, not really sure what to think.

“I know it might sound strange right now, but just think about it, Chairy. Please? I really think it would be the best thing for all of us.”

“I’ll think about it.” She agreed.

Phineas went off to the circus and Charity stayed at home with the girls. Most of her day was consumed with taking care of them. But for a while in the afternoon, while the girls were playing outside, she found herself alone, with plenty of time to think about Phineas’s suggestion.

Charity really had come to love Phillip. And she knew Phillip loved both of them. But part of her feared Phineas could never fully love her and Phillip at the same time. It wasn’t that she feared he would stop loving her, it was that she feared he would love Phillip more. That eventually he would only want to be with Phillip, and she would be left in the dust. It was an irrational fear and she knew it, but she couldn’t shake it.

Still, she did like the thought of Phillip being around all the time. He was incredibly kind and caring and he was so good with Caroline and Helen. And she could tell he wasn’t just in this relationship because he loved Phineas. She could tell he really loved her too. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to have another person around the house. Another adult to reign in some of Phineas’s wilder ideas.

She smiled. She pictured the three of them living together. Making Phillip a real part of their family. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.

When Phineas got home that night, Charity greeted him with a kiss and a smile.

“I’ve thought about what you said, about Phillip moving in.” She told him.

“And?”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

*****

Within a week, Phillip was completely moved into their house. That first night, Charity went to take a bath before bed. When she went back to the bedroom, Phineas and Phillip were lying on the bed, making out.

A pang of jealousy hit her. Would Phineas just want Phillip now? Would this become her life? Watching them from the sidelines while she became a third wheel in her own marriage?

She shook her thoughts away and coughed, alerting them of her presence. They looked up at her awkwardly. She smirked.

“Don’t look so scared, it’s fine.” She gave them a wink as she walked toward the bed. “As long as I can join in.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’re enjoying it so far. I’ll have more soon. Thanks for reading! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a bit of a time jump here. A couple months have passed between the last chapter and this one.

Jenny leaned her head on Phineas’s shoulder. They’d been on the tour for a few weeks now. And they seemed to be getting closer everyday. Everyday, she could feel herself falling for him a little more. And everyday the urge to kiss him got a little stronger. But she fought it. He was a married man. And she wasn’t about to try and mess with that. She’d made a lot of mistakes in her life, and she had no intention of adding homewrecking to the list.

But when they got back to the hotel, she found herself sitting on the couch so close to him that she was almost sitting on his lap. He held her against him, stroking her hair softly, as she rested her head on his chest. Suddenly, he lifted her face to meet his and finally did what she’d secretly wanted him to do since she met him. He kissed her. And for awhile, they didn’t let go.

When they finally pulled apart, they just stared at each other in silence for a moment, until Jenny spoke.

“Mr. Barnum, what was that?” She asked.

“That was something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.” He smiled. “And, please, call me Phineas.”

“Just so we’re clear, Phineas, I’ve been wanting that for a long time too.” She smiled back.

“I know.”

He pulled her into his lap and kissed her again. As the kiss grew deeper, he lifted her up off the couch and carried her to the bed. Once he laid her down, he took off his jacket and bowtie and started before reaching to take off her dress. As much as she wanted this, she stopped him.

“Phineas, you’re a married man.”

“My wife is probably making love to Phillip Carlyle as we speak.” He replied matter-of-factly, without even a trace of jealousy or bitterness in his words. She raised an eyebrow.

“And you’re alright with that?” She questioned.

“Of course.” He winked. “I made love to him first.”

“Phineas, I knew you were an unconventional man, but I didn’t realize that extended to the bedroom as well.”

“There’s a lot of things you don’t realize about me.”

She giggled and he climbed on top of her. He kissed her again as they undressed each other.

“Jenny, you’re so beautiful.” He whispered when she was naked. She blushed. “I want to touch and kiss every inch of your body. Then I want to make love to you until you can’t do anything but moan and writhe beneath me in pleasure.”

“Then do it.” She invited.   
  
He did everything he said he wanted to.

*****

Six weeks passed, and Jenny and Phineas were now in a real romantic relationship. And she felt herself falling in love with him even more everyday.

He was so kind, sweet, and caring. He loved her more than anyone else ever had. She didn’t really have any close friends or family back in Europe, and she had never been in a healthy relationship before. So she latched on to Phineas desperately, almost to the point of emotional dependency.

She knew she shouldn’t be so dependent on him. And she feared that one day he would get sick of her and leave her. But she couldn’t help it. No one had ever loved her before.

Everything seemed to be going fine, until her concert in Cincinnati. When she was done performing, and Phineas came on stage to bow with her, she got a little too excited. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but she kissed him. It was impulsive and stupid, and she knew it as soon as she’d done it. But she never could have guessed how Phineas would react.

“What was that?” He asked, seemingly horrified.

“I-I, I don’t know, I just-,”

“We’ll talk about this later.” He cut her off.

The carriage ride back to the hotel was silent. He was cold and distant. He didn’t put his arm around her or even hold her hand. He just sat as far away from her as he could and stared out the window.

Jenny desperately wanted to break the silence. Desperately wanted to close the distance between them and cuddle up to him. But she didn’t dare try. She didn’t want to make things worse than she already had.

Phineas was completely silent until they got back to the hotel room. Then, he turned to her with the coldest look she’d ever seen him give.

“What the hell were you thinking, Jenny?” He demanded.

“I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t.” She replied. “It was just an impulse. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough.” He spat back. “Why would you do that? I’m a married man.”

“You said your wife wouldn’t care, so I thought-,”

“This isn’t about my wife.” He cut her off. “This is about my reputation. The press doesn’t know that Charity and I are in an open relationship. And they never can know that. Not that it matters, I’ll be disgraced now anyway. I’ll be regarded as an unfaithful husband and you’ll be regarded as a homewrecker.”

“I-I’m sorry.” Jenny didn’t know what else to say.

“Sorry won’t fix this.” He sighed. “I think it’s best if I go.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have to leave the tour. I have to go home.” He insisted. Jenny started to cry. “It’s the best thing for both of us. Hopefully, it will minimize the damage.”

“Phineas, please don’t go.” She begged. “I can’t finish the tour without you.”

“You’ll have to.” He replied, coldly. “Now that you basically told the whole world we’re having an affair. This is the best thing for both of us.”

“I’m sorry.” Jenny cried. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” His voice softened, and he crossed the room to take her in his arms. “And I know you didn’t mean to do this. I’m sorry it has to end like this. I really am. But I love you, Jenny. And I don’t ever want you to forget that.”

“I won’t.”

Phineas kissed her one last time, then turned to leave. Jenny sank to the floor and sobbed as the only man who had ever loved her walked out the door and left her alone.

 

*****

  
Three long, lonely weeks passed. Jenny had quit the tour the day after Phineas left. She’d gone back to New York City and had been staying in a hotel. She was miserable.

The circus had burned down, and Phineas had lost everything. And he was left penniless because he wouldn’t make any money off the tour. She felt terrible. This was her fault. If she hadn’t quit the tour, if she had just never kissed him, none of this would’ve happened. He would be fine right now.

Part of her wanted to go back to Sweden. But she had no one there. No one would want anything to do with her now. And besides, part of her hoped Phineas would change his mind. That he would reach out to her. If he did, he would have a much easier time finding her here than in Sweden.

Jenny had almost given up hope that Phineas would reach out to her. But one day, he came knocking on her hotel room door.

“Phineas?” She was shocked. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you.” He replied. “I’ve been trying to find you for a week. I’ve been asking around and someone finally pointed me in the right direction.”

“What do you want?” She was happy to see him, but she was confused. She would have thought he would never have wanted to see her again. “Last I checked I ruined your life. Why are you here?”

“I want to tell you that I’m sorry.” Phineas told her. “It was wrong of me to leave you like that. I love you. And I want to make things right.”

“You want to make things right? I’m the one who screwed everything up. I’m the reason you have nothing.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Jenny.” He took her hands in his. “What happened to me has more to do with my own decisions than yours. And things are getting better. Phillip still has some money from before the circus. We’re using it to buy a plot of land for the circus, and we moved into Phillip’s old apartment. It’s pretty small for five people, and it will be even smaller for six, but it works and it’s a roof over our heads.”

“What do you mean it will be for six?” Jenny raised an eyebrow. “Is Charity pregnant?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He smiled. “That’s actually why I’m here. I know this seems sudden and weird. But I love you. And Charity and Phillip would like to get to know you. So we’d like it if you would come visit us sometime. See where things go. Who knows, maybe even move in with us eventually.”

“I’d like that.” Jenny smiled.

“Good.” Phineas took her in his arms. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.”

“I love you.” He leaned down and kissed her softly.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying this so far. I'll have more soon. I’ll have more time for writing now that my classes are over. Thanks for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Phillip sat on the couch alone, reading a newspaper. Phineas was upstairs with Charity and Jenny. It had been six weeks since Jenny had joined their relationship, and two weeks since she had moved in with them. Phillip liked Jenny, but he hadn’t developed a romantic relationship with her. He just saw her as a friend, and that feeling seemed to be mutual.

As far as friends went, he wasn’t even sure he would consider her a close one. They seemed to spend much of their time vying for Phineas and Charity’s attentions. They were nice to each other’s faces, but they were each jealous of the other.

Phillip wondered if bringing Jenny into their relationship had been a good idea. He had been okay with it at first, but he couldn’t help but resent her. Now that she was here, Phineas and Charity paid less attention to him. He had to share their affections, and he didn’t like it.

He felt guilty about resenting her. It wasn’t her fault. She had never deliberately tried to take Phineas and Charity away from him. But in a way, she had. And Phillip couldn’t help but feel resentful toward her.

After about an hour, Phillip got up and headed down to the circus. He didn’t actually have to leave for another half an hour or so, but he was bored and he figured Phineas wouldn’t be coming down to see him anytime soon. Besides, he’d found someone else to focus his affections on. If Phineas and Charity could have Jenny, then he could have Anne, right?

*****

Phillip found Anne in the dressing room and greeted with a hug from behind.

“Hey, love.” He kissed her on the cheek.

“Phillip,” She smiled. “You’re here a little early.”

“I wanted to have a little time alone with you before the show.”

She turned around and kissed him.

“I’d like that.” She replied suggestively. “But the others will be here soon.”

“Who cares if they see?”

“I care.” She retorted. “Besides, what about Charity and Phineas? Would they be okay with us?”

“They have no right not to be.” He stated. “Besides, I kiss you in the show every night. I think they know.”

“But do they know we’re serious?”

“I think so.” He shrugged. “I don’t think it matters. It’s an open relationship. If they can have Jenny Lind, then I think I can have you.”

“Still, I just don’t want someone to walk in on us here.”

“Then I’ll meet you at your apartment after the show.” He told her.

Phillip made up an excuse to Phineas after the show as to why he couldn’t come home with them right away. He had lied to Anne. Phineas and Charity had no idea how serious they actually were. And he didn’t really think they needed to. It was none of their business. That was the point of an open relationship, right? He was free to do whatever, and whomever, he wished.

Besides, Anne was still uncomfortable with the idea of polyamory, and he didn’t want to force it on her. He knew that if they knew how serious he and Anne were, that they would want to bring her into the relationship too. And she didn’t want that.

When he and Anne got to her apartment, he kissed her passionately. They made their way back to her bedroom as they undressed each other.

Every time he laid her down and made love to her, he felt a kind of love he hadn’t previously known existed, and this time was no different.

“I love you, so much.” Phillip told her when they finished.

“I love you too.” She replied. “You’re the only one I love. The only one I’ve ever loved.”

“I’m sorry.” He said. “This isn’t fair to you. Because you’re not the only one I love and you know it.”

“You’re right.” She agreed. “This isn’t fair to me. But it wouldn’t be fair of me to expect you to leave Phineas and Charity. You loved them first.”

“But I love you more.”

“Do you?”

“I do.” He held her tighter. “I love you more than I knew I could ever love someone.”

“Then leave them.”

“Anne,”

“I know it’s not fair of me to ask, but if you love me that much, then you don’t need them, do you?”

“I don’t know.” He replied. “All I know is that I love you. And nothing can ever change that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will probably be the last, tho I might do like a short epilogue chapter after that. I’m still not sure how I want to do the ending for this.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I’ll have more soon. Thanks for reading! :)


	5. Chapter 5

Anne knew it wasn’t fair. But she was tired of sharing Phillip. They were serious now and she had given him an ultimatum. He either needed to be committed to her or leave her.

She had invited him over to her apartment before a show. She sat him down on the couch and took his hand.

“Phillip, I love you.” She started. “And I know you love me. But I can’t do this open relationship thing. I can’t share you with Phineas and Charity. I tried and I can’t do it. So, you’re going to have to make a choice.”

“Anne, honey, this isn’t fair-,”

“I know it isn’t fair.” She cut him off. “But what you’re doing to me isn’t fair either. And I can’t deal with this anymore. So I’m leaving it up to you. You can have them or me. But you can’t have both anymore. I’m sorry.”

He sat in silence. He looked almost on the verge of tears. She kissed him on the cheek.

“Take as long as you need to think about it.” She told him. “And please know that I'll understand whatever decision you decide to make.”

“I’ll think about it.” He agreed quietly. “We better get going.”

“Yeah, we better.” She nodded. He took her hand and led her out the door. He held her hand the whole way to the circus.

*****

Two days later, Phillip came to Anne in her dressing room, before anyone else arrived.

“I’ve thought a lot about what you said, and I’ve come to a decision.” He told her. Anne felt fear grip her immediately.

“And?” She tried to stay calm. No matter what he said, she needed to seem happy and supportive.

“I’ve decided I want to be with you.”

Relief washed over Anne and she jumped up from her chair to hug him.

“I love you so much.” She told him.

“I love you too.”

“Have you told Phineas and Charity yet?” She asked.

“I did.” He nodded. “They were disappointed, but they understood. They wish us nothing but happiness and love.”

“Oh, Phillip, that’s wonderful.” She kissed him.

She briefly wondered what she would’ve done if he’d made another decision. What if he had decided to leave her? Would she have been as understanding as Phineas and Charity apparently were?

She pushed the thoughts aside. That didn’t matter. All that mattered now was that he was hers and hers alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has gone in an angstier direction than I think I originally intended, but it will have a happy ending. 
> 
> Anyway, there’s one chapter left that will be coming soon hopefully. Thanks for reading! :)


	6. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fluffy chapter to wrap things up. Hope you like it! :)

Phineas was disappointed when Phillip told him he would be leaving their relationship. But he understood. And to be honest, he wasn’t totally surprised.

He had watched as Phillip’s relationship with Anne got more serious. They really were in love. And he was happy for them. But Anne wasn’t exactly comfortable with the whole polyamory thing. And Phineas had always known asking her to be part of their relationship was never really going to be an option. Eventually, Phillip was going to have to choose between him and Anne. And as disappointed as he was that he had chosen Anne, he understood. And he wished them the best.

Afterall, he still had two wonderful people he loved and who loved him. And each other. Charity had grown to love Jenny, but Phillip never quite had. And the two of them had never been able to move past their jealousy of the other.

So Phineas was content to just be with Charity and Jenny. As long as everyone ended up happy and with people they loved, everything would be okay.

*****

Charity woke up and found herself lying between Phineas and Jenny. Jenny was already awake.

“Good morning,” Jenny smiled.

“Morning,”

Charity had been disappointed, and honestly a little hurt when Phillip left them for Anne. But she understood why he did it. She knew they were in love and she could tell they were meant to be together. So she figured everything had worked out like it was supposed to.

The girls seemed to love Jenny just as much as they loved Phillip, and she was great with them. She really was a perfect addition to the family. And Charity imagined she needed them more than they could ever really understand.

Charity leaned forward and kissed Jenny.

“I love you.” She told her with a smile.

“I love you too.”

*****

Jenny had never been happier in her life. Sure, her career was over, at least for now. But she had found something much more important. A family. A place where she belonged. A place where she was loved.

Phineas and Charity were so amazing to her. She had never had a person truly love her before. Now she had two.

Not to mention Caroline and Helen. They were such bright, beautiful little girls. They were going to grow up to be just as incredible as their parents.

Jenny really couldn’t believe her luck. She didn’t really have family or friends back in Sweden. She was used to being alone.

But everyday, the Barnums made her feel like she belonged with them. Like they loved her. Like she was truly part of a family. And she would be forever grateful to them for that.

*****

Phillip was unbelievably grateful to Charity and Phineas for being so understanding when he left them. He could tell they weren’t happy, but they let him go without a fight. And they didn’t have to do that. Not after they’d made him part of their family. They didn’t have to let him leave so easily. But they did.

He had been so happy with the Barnums, but somehow he was even happier with Anne. Phineas and Charity had taught him how to love, but Anne was who he was supposed to give that love to. She was his soulmate. She was so perfect for him that he still sometimes couldn’t believe that he found her. That she was his. That they were really together and in love. But he thanked God and anything and everything else responsible that they were.

*****

Anne couldn’t believe Phillip was really hers. Society seemed so determined to tear their relationship apart. But they were still here. They were still together. It was hard to believe.

And it was even harder to believe when Phillip got down on one knee and pulled out a ring.

“Anne, you are the love of my life.” He told her. “You are my soulmate. And I know we haven’t been together that long, but I can’t imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?”

“Phillip, I would love to marry you.” She replied. “But society would never allow that.”

“It’s perfectly legal in New York.” He argued.

“Sure, it’s legal, but that doesn’t mean it’s socially acceptable. What would your family say?”

“Screw them.” He replied. “What they think doesn’t matter to me. If they can’t accept the woman that I love, I don’t need them. They never cared for me much anyway.”

Anne couldn’t believe this was happening. He was really proposing to her. She didn’t know what to say.

“So, Anne, will you marry me?” He asked again.

“Yes.” She nodded. She started to cry as he put the ring on her finger.

“I love you so much.” He stood up and kissed her.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story. My next fic for this fandom will be a modern AU, which I’m really looking forward to. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you're enjoying it so far. I'll have more soon, hopefully. Thanks for reading! :)


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